Wal-Mart Seeks to Seal Documents in Lawsuit

Lawyers for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, asked a judge in Oakland to expand the number of documents it can classify as trade secrets in a lawsuit over whether employees were denied meal and rest breaks.

Superior Court Judge Ronald Sabraw had tentatively ruled last week that Wal-Mart’s procedures for auditing whether store staffing and schedules adhere to company policy and state laws were trade secrets. Wal-Mart attorneys said the audit reports themselves reveal the procedures and should also be kept confidential.

Wal-Mart is defending itself against claims that it forced as many as 200,000 California employees to work without meal or rest breaks. The suit is one of several worker discrimination lawsuits against Wal-Mart pending around the country.